Operation of an internal combustion engine can lead to deposits in the fuel system. The deposits can adversely impact engine performance, potentially resulting in fuel system component malfunction or failure. For instance, the deposits can restrict the flow of air and fuel entering the combustion chamber, which can cause stalling and hesitation. One contributor to fuel system deposits is fuel oxidation, caused by reactions between molecular oxygen and the fuel. This process is accelerated with higher temperatures. To achieve better combustion and reduced emissions, modern engine designs have trended toward higher fuel system operating temperatures and pressures, thus subjecting fuels to higher thermal loads than has been typical in the past. However, the increased thermal loads can lead to increased fuel oxidation and, thus, increased deposits.
One technique that has been used for fuel-system deposit control has been to use detergents. However, detergents typically do not work across the entire fuel system and may be designed to target specific components within the fuel system, e.g., carburetor detergents, intake valve detergents, valve stem deposit fluidizers, and direct injector detergents, among others. In some instances, a detergent targeting a specific component can cause deposits in other components of the fuel system. For instance, high levels of carburetor detergents can increase piston ring belt deposits and intake valve deposits, while intake valve detergents that can clean the tops of valve tulips can create sticky valve stem deposits. Additionally, these detergents and the fluidizers that often accompany them are typically not conducive to combusting and tend to contribute to combustion chamber deposits, which are known to lead to octane rating increase, combustion chamber deposit interference, disturbance of the air-fuel mixture formation, and/or increased regulated emissions. In addition, while detergents are designed to address the deposits that can result from oxidation, they are not designed to stop oxidation from occurring. While antioxidant additives have been included in fuels, they are designed to combat oxidation and preserve fuel stability at ambient storage conditions rather than engine operating temperatures. At increased temperatures, these antioxidants can degrade and lead to fuel system deposits.